Still February

Working hard to get back in the groove of blogging. It's a way to get my feelings, ideas, and dreams out of my head and into the world. I think I will attempt a post every Monday. See how that goes. Waiting to hear back on a job but if nothing happens by March 1, the search will commence. Starting to look for another place to stay. That's so difficult when what you get paid, doesn't afford a one bedroom apartment in a decent area. Praying that my truck stays well for another year. It turned 20 almost two years ago and has over 220 + thousand miles. Love that truck. Praying that my laptop keeps working for another year. He's old and cannot take any new programs. Old programs are having a hard time updating and some have stopped.

I am not a patient person. I'm working on that. Now that I know what I want to do with myself, it is sometimes hard to just keep working on what makes me happy and feel content. It's been a struggle to get back to being creative after my knee surgery and all it entailed the end of last year.

I am back to working on dolls that were started some time ago. I have a doll show in April I would like to attend. I have new ideas for dolls, if I can just stay out of my way and play. Play with new materials and just see what happens. I have several ideas for big projects too. I have started learning new things such as weaving on a pin loom, and working on embroidery and applique.

Still working on the 29 Faces art challenge for the month.

Doll skirts for some dolls that have been sitting around forever.

A pin loom I got myself for Christmas. I have a project in mind for the weaving but needed to know how this thing worked. So fat so good. I practiced with yarn I had on hand and now I need to find what I think will really work for what I want to do.

My first woven pieces. The top are the latest ones. From left to right: The two lilac ones are worsted yarn. The pink, red, and dark purple are cotton. Bottom row were the first ones I made. From left to right: The two dark red and blue are 100% wool and the green ones are a wool, silk, and alpaca blend. I can also say I've started Christmas gifts.

I also did a thing last month that I can't talk about right now but it's exciting, and as soon as I can tell you about it, I will. Have a great week.

It' Fall Y'all!

The knee is getting better and I was able to take a longer walk this morning. Boy was it nice and brisk. The wind slightly blowing, the sun was out, there was the crunching of leaves underfoot. I even had my new gloves on. And I got some pretty pics.

My little niece in North Carolina, well, she's not that little anymore but she's way into dolls right now and I am so very happy about that. She has an 18" doll in need of a wardrobe. So I borrowed one from my mom as a model and I got her cleaned up, her hair washed and a little trim. I also repaired her backside. Now she's ready for some clothes. I think I will make an old-fashioned Halloween outfit. That's about all I have time for but there's still Christmas coming up and more clothes.

I was also able to get some Halloween stamps. Yes, I still do snail mail and I'm so excited I was able to get some. When I got there, to the Post Office, I was told I was the fourth person to ask for them. This was a little after opening. Who knew there were other loonies like me out there? I was shocked that the PO put them out so late but that's okay. Usually they are sold out by the time I get stamps.

Last week wasn't the greatest with getting a single project done. But the new week starts today. I've got my list and I'm ready. I've got to be especially since I'm back on limited time at the job. And the holidays are coming up. Until next time, take care of yourselves.

Working

Like many, I have wanted to start more positive habits. Which I didn't a week ago today. It's difficult to try something that is good for you. I have fallen off the creative truck a few times but I tell myself that's okay. It didn't take overnight to create bad habits and it not going to be overnight to create new better habits. In other words, cut myself some slack, get back on the truck when I fall off and keep going. Our brain is one thing we really don't use much. So when I'm working on the new habits or a new schedule my brain just wants to quit. Um... no. I push on. If I'm tired, I take a break. So I've been creating. Working on things started months, years ago, and some new projects.

More work on my gourd heads out of Creative Paperclay. Still making things suck and just seeing what happens.

The clay heads I started. Some are starting to take on personalities.

Bloomers for three dolls.

And stitch work on my pumpkin applique started last year. I haven't appliqued in so long, I didn't know exactly what I was doing. Common thread here. So I worked on it anyway and it's not bad. Now I've got to find a backing for it and finish it. I know now what not to do the next time.

Have a good week.

Bloomers, Bloomers

Who has bloomers? Why my latest batch of dollies have them. Finally getting somewhere. I knew I should have made a mockup of the long leg doll bloomers but I didn't after I made the first pattern. I just wanted them to have some pants on. If I make these dolls again, I will alter the pattern so that the bloomers bloom a little bit more. For now, they will do. The prim dollies have their bloomers too and I will look one more time for the bodice pattern I had made the first time I made a batch of these. If not, I will have to make a new pattern so I can get their dresses made this week. I have to go into the other job today so I won't have time to paint any faces until tomorrow.

More micro wins. Yay me!

Found a Treasure

I'm still working on clearing out my stuff from my mother's place. While doing so this past weekend, I found this doll. At first I thought about selling her but then I realized her provenance. I'd made her over 10 years ago during a workshop at Arrowmont School for Arts & Crafts. The teacher was renown doll artist Akira Blount. Akira passed away several years ago. It was a week long workshop and I learned a lot from her. And I had been making dolls for about 15 years then. The one important thing is how to give a doll a layered look in clothing without actually making each individual piece. I've carried that with me from then on.  Looking at the doll, you can see layers of clothing but she doesn't have them. Her shirt is her body.  I couldn't afford one of her pieces but I could afford that class. She was such a kind and giving person.

She had us come up with our own profile pattern, even though we followed her design. She wanted to make sure we got the full affect of creating our own doll from start to finish.  Her face is needle sculpted and then painted. So I will keep this doll because of her connection to Akira Blount.

Thank you Akira for your time, experience, and laughter. I will miss you always.

Day 6 - Creative Challenge

I'm behind posting a day. The mad retail rush is happening before Christmas so posting will be weird. But I am working on things everyday. I got Raggedy Ann's dress done yesterday. I will get her apron done today.

Day 4 - Creative Challenge

I'm sticking to the schedule that I've started. So this is day 4. I did make a pattern for Raggedy Ann's dress last night but didn't get it posted. Here is the pattern and I did sew a mockup of the dress after work today. I don't have the original pattern but remembered how the pattern went and made up my own. The dress is cut in one piece. I remember when I did the first pattern in grade school, that gave me the blues. But I figured it out. The two long pieces are the front which is on the fold and the back which is cut in about 1/8" in from the fold. The sleeves look long but they will get a hem and elastic around the wrists and the length of the dress looks good. I will cut out the pattern in the nice fabric tomorrow.

I got the first Boudior doll cut out, sewn, and turned. She may be a bit too skinny but I won't know until I stuff her tomorrow.

And I finally turned my Cauldron Critter ornaments. After having searched for months for fabric similar to the original I'd bought years ago. They are also ready to be stuffed. Lots of stuffing tomorrow.

I still have time to edit part of a short story before bed. And I've got some reading to do. I'm trying to see how much I can get done when I work a good part of the day at the regular job. Right now I'm pooped but will keep going and get a few more things off my list. I have tomorrow off and the thing is that I hope I don't just take it off and actually stuff things. And get Raggedy Ann done. That's all for today.

Day 3 - Creative Challenge

I know it's Day 4 but yesterday was kind of weird. First, I had to do the work thing and then some errands (grocery store, pick up driving glasses), helped my friend set up for her party for her group. No, I didn't go to the party because I was kind of done being peopley by the end of the day. So I went to the library and did some writing and sketching and I even got a quick nap. No, as my granny used to say, "I'm not sleeping, I'm resting my eyes." It was very soothing there, being surrounded by a bunch of books. Everything was great until some teenager came into the room where I was and decided not to pick up his feet when he walked, and sighed as if he had subbed for Atlas for fifteen minutes. Good grief. Anyway, I got some sketching done. I redid the new doll pattern and sketched some clothes. Either for this doll or the ornament which is also on the docket. I may have to go back to the library in the evening.

I will post Day 4 later on. Have a great day.

30 Days

That's how long it takes to start a new habit. I'm kind of settled on my so-called work schedule and know which days I can do creative stuff and which days I can't. So I am going to start creating things, working on things each day for the next 30 and see what happens. It may be a small thing that I do or something involved. For today, I am showing a doll I did years ago. I sort of liked her, but she wasn't what I was going for. I didn't throw her away because I knew I wanted to try again. I like her size. Not too thrilled with her head or face, the hands most definitely don't work, and her feet are way too big. She's wearing a late 1980s combination and a slip. I'm thinking of making her style a little later, like 1920s and I will toy with a one piece head and body or try another head separate from the body like this little miss has right now. I will work on her design today and show pics tomorrow.

Also on the docket for today is to finish up a paranormal short story. I get halfway through things and quit. I think this 30 day things will keep me on point for a bit. And you can call me on it if I don't produce.

Working

Raggedy Ann has new hair and bloomers. I want to get her dress done this week so I can give her back to my niece.

I had a commission to do several doll dresses for another artist. He makes wonderful vintage Halloween items including dolls like the one below. Here is the mockup of the dress.

All of her joints move. Even her head. His name is Patrick James Gill.

I also did four smaller ones and I forgot to take pics but they are similar to the ones above. I got something done y'all! Another thing crossed off my list.

Start, Stop, Start

Okay, this has been a weird six months. I relocated back to Michigan from North Carolina and I'm still adjusting. I'm now looking for some work and I'm okay with that. It was a big move and resources have been tapped. For awhile I felt like a failure and beat myself up a lot. But I've some wonderful friends who believe in me and my work and they have helped me get through a lot of things. I'm still learning about my new community but I'm ready to get back onto the creative bus. Train. Boat. It's time to put the big girl pants back on along with the tool belt and shoulder holster. And I'm working through one of my lists. Here's what I'm working on this week. Four projects need to be finished by the end of the week. Others need to be worked on.

I've got three cloth dolls to finish, two aliens to dress, a table runner to work on, a short story to retype, some doll dresses to make, and a purse to make. Wish me luck.

Catching Up

Really working on keeping up with the sketching. I got a head cold on the way to South Haven and then when I got home it turned into a sinus infection. Feeling lots better now and my nose is still on my face. Another Day of the Dead Mariachi guy and some other creepies I may or may not work on. Thank goodness for Google Images because I only had a vague idea of what an accordion looked like. Now I have a set of five and have some different ideas for them. But for now I have a small commission for some doll clothes.

So Many Things

Going on.

It is now Day 2 of my next trip around the sun. I had fun on my birth day, going out to lunch with a dear friend. She took me to an Indian restaurant and it was very yummy. Yesterday, another friend took me to see Wonder Woman. I think I liked it. I will have to see it again because I didn't know that this particular showing was in 3D. 3D doesn't like me a lot. So I was working to watch the movie, keep track of the story, and try not to throw up. So I will have to wait until it comes out on DVD to see it again. But the clothes Diana and Etta were wearing while in London. Oh my! I see some cool fall outfits ahead. Anyway, I loved just about all of the supporting characters, even the bad ones. I have something to look forward to.

My purse has just about died. I bought it at a boutique. Someone made it and I liked the colors. A nice blue plaid. I had the zipper fixed once before and the pull on the zipper failed yesterday and I couldn't get into the purse. Not good when one is trying to buy a very expensive rum truffle chocolate. The rest of the purse is fraying and it's time for a new one. Good thing I can make one myself but that project wasn't on the list. Ugh!

Now I'm working on getting back to being creative. I pretty much took five days to celebrate my birthday, and technically still have today but will get going on a few things. Now that I've discovered that I can write up posts, save them, and then they will post on a date I choose, I should be able to stay on a regular posting schedule. Yeah, I'm laughing too. But here are some things on the docket.

• Continue with the language studies
• Practice my handwriting (it truly needs it)
• A sketch a day
• Clear out a drawer once a week (still downsizing, for a third time)
• Write and/or edit everyday

Creative Projects

1. Items for the Black Theater Festival
2. Repair a Raggedy Ann doll
3. Continue with my Redwork/Embroidery projects
4. Finish the Halloween dolls that are so close to being done
5. Finish off doll clothes that are also close to being done.
6. Day of the Dead dolls

That should keep me busy for the whole month. We shall see. I was looking at my creative endeavors as a chore. But they aren't because I do enjoy creating things. I want to get that joy back. So hang in there with me.

Catching Up

Getting back on the creative wagon. Got some things done, new things designed, bills paid, caught up on emails, found a doll I'd been looking for, and spotted Juno catching bugs at night while hanging onto the sliding glass door.

I worked on some more embroidery designs. A friend suggested I do a whole Mariachi Band. Maybe.

Here's Juno on the glass of the sliding door. Scared me when I went to turn lights out for the night. I wondered what that pale spot was and when I got closer, it moved. An unusual way to catch bugs but he was busy at it.

Got two Goodfellas doll dresses done. The red head is a doll I bought from a store. She's a bit smaller than the brown one which goes back to the charity.

And here is Leah's doll I made for her when she was younger. She's in her 20s now and she can't wait to get this little miss back. She loved her and her sister Tori loved her, if a little too much. Tori liked fuzzy things and tore a hole in the feet and took out the stuffing. The hair is also coming off, Tori. I think I will fix one side of the mouth, leave the stains, put on new hair, fix the feet, new bloomers, and a new dress that I'll tea dye a little. I'm excited.

Got a long list of creative things to do. Need a few supplies and will go out tomorrow. And then it's the pedal to the metal.

#goodfellsascharity #goodfellasdoll #wendyluane #dayofthedead #embroidery #clothdoll #raggedyanndoll

Doll Clothes and Stuff

I didn't know what to call this post seeing that I've been doing a couple of different things lately. I can't explain it but I've been feeling fairly positive this past week and I'm going to ride this creative wave for as long as I can. I got my daily sketches in and I worked on a doll dress pattern for my Goodfellas doll. I've had a main list of three items and that I should attempt at least one thing on the list. Three would be great but other things pop up and I'm supposed to be cutting myself some slack. I did enjoy the process of creating a dress pattern for this little doll. I don't know why I was shocked that I was having fun. Silly me, it's something I like to do. Before bed I will work a bit on my next Redwork project and get at least 100 new words on a short story done. I hope to turn the wave into a tsunami.

I forgot to take pics of the first pattern draft but here is the second draft made up into a bodice. I adjusted the neckline and shoulder. She's a bit chunky so I had to adjust for that.

I took the bodice apart, adding notes of what to do to the next pattern. I had to remind myself to throw away the old pattern and not the new adjusted ones. And I have to do that right away because they start to look the same.

Finally got a decent bodice pattern and made a sleeve. This is the third try and it works. I will make a better pattern and add a quarter inch for the sleeve hem and add elastic.

Here is the mockup of the dress. I will adjust the neckline again, I like the sleeve, I like how full her skirt is and I will have to cut off half an inch at the hem because it was too long. I've pulled fabric for the dresses and will start them tomorrow.  Yay me!

And here are my sketches. I love, love, love mini campers, vintage campers, campers period. One day I will travel around in one and see some National Parks. I'm thinking Halloween campers.

#wendyluane #goodfellasdoll #goodfellascharity #doll clothes #dollclothespattern #minicampers

June

Boy, that came up fast. How did May go? It was okay. I got four projects done. I made a purse, designed some embroidery designs for someone, finished my second Redwork piece, and finished my first short story and sent it to someone else to read. What they call a Beta Reader. I was too close to the story to see anything wrong, so I sent it to someone else to critique it. So even though I got some things done, it wasn't the bumper month I had hoped for. Fear is a bad thing. Fear of success is equally bad. I'm working on being kinder to myself, still. It's so easy to help others and offer encouragement but not cut myself some slack or pump me up. But today is a new day in a new month and I will forge ahead. I've got too much stuff in my head to give up at this point. One day at a time, one part of a project at a time.

Today, I got up and wrote in my journal, then I went for a walk. They tell me it's supposed to help get you in shape and deal with sadness. I'm still waiting for that to kick in but I did manage to lose 10 pounds in the past two months. I need to lose about another 20 but yay for me! Flexibility is getting better too. I got some really nice storage containers for my fabric at a yard sale today. I usually don't catch bargains like this.

I finally got the underpants for the Goodfellas doll. I think I found a style of dress to make. Will probably sketch that tomorrow and make a mockup.

And here is my next Redwork project. I got more pearl cotton from my mother. She used to do crazy quilting but hasn't been doing it lately. Like several years lately. So I grabbed some colors I didn't have.

I have a mega list of projects to do. I will share some in the near future. There's a very nice festival coming up and I want to make a few pieces for that. And I have several dolls that really want to be finished. I can be such a goofball but I'm working on it. Working on my next short story too.

#dayofthedead #dollunderpants #dollclothes #redwork #embroidery